DOH bats for mandatory safety seal in enclosed areas
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) is urging other member agencies of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) to make the safety seals mandatory for enclosed spaces, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Friday.
Vergeire said the DOH agrees with the recommendation of the Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against COVID-19 (HPAAC) to further improve the ventilation standards in establishments to help prevent coronavirus transmission in these areas.
“What HPAAC is saying is that ventilation standards are very important right now that we are gradually reopening the economy. The DOH agrees with HPAAC on this. Kaya tayo ay nakapagbigay na ng rekomendasyon sa ating IATF, sa ating mga miyembrong ahensya dyan na sana po itong ating safety seal ay maging mandatory na,” Vergeire said in an online media briefing.
(That is why we have made a recommendation to the IATF and its member agencies to make the safety seal mandatory.)
“Not to say na overnight mandatory na. Pagtrabahuhan na po natin because itong safety seal na ito, nandyan ang standard for ventilation among establishments, workplaces, schools and even the other settings, ina-adopt na po natin ang safety seal,” she added.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire (INQUIRER file photo / EDWIN BACASMAS)
(We are not saying we should make the safety seal mandatory overnight. We should work for it because this safety seal involves standards for ventilation among establishments, workplaces, schools, and even other settings.)
Vergeire noted that while the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 is mostly transmitted through droplets, evidence has shown that the virus lingers longer in the air in enclosed spaces.
According to the website of the Department of Trade and Industry, the safety seal certification is a voluntary certification scheme that affirms that an establishment is compliant with the minimum public health standards set by the government and integrates its contact tracing with StaySafe.ph.
There are different government authorities that issue the safety seal depending on the nature of the establishment.
The safety seal, given for free, is valid for six months, except for those issued to tourism enterprises which are valid for one year.
Over 43,000 public and private establishments have so far been issued safety seal certification as of October 1, according to DOH.
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